Waleran III of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny
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Agincourt
Agincourt may refer to:* Battle of AgincourtPlaces:* Agincourt, Meurthe-et-Moselle, French commune* Agincourt, Ontario* Agincourt, aka Pengjia Islet), north of TaiwanTitled works:...
), Count of Ligny and Saint Pol, was a French nobleman and soldier.
He was the son of Guy of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny and Mahaut of Châtillon, Countess of Saint Pol. He succeeded his father in 1371, after his death at the Battle of Baesweiler
Battle of Baesweiler
The Battle of Baesweiler was a conflict between the dukes of Brabant and Jülich.During this time, large groups of mercenaries roamed the lands of western Europe, bringing death wherever they came...
. Waleran was captured at the same battle, but released through the intercession of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
. In 1374, he was captured by the English before Ardres
Ardres
Ardres is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.Population : 4,198 inhabitants for the commune and 17,610 inhabitants for the canton.-Geography:...
and sent to Windsor
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
as a prisoner. The English attempted to exchange him for Jean III de Grailly, captal de Buch
Jean III de Grailly, captal de Buch
Sir Jean III de Grailly, Captal de Buch KG , son of Jean II de Grailly, Captal de Buch, Vicomte de Benauges, and Blanch de Foix...
, but without success. In 1380, while a captive, he married Maud Holland (d. 1392), daughter of Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent
Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent
Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, 2nd Baron Holand, KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War.-Early Life:...
and Joan of Kent
Joan of Kent
Joan, Countess of Kent , known to history as The Fair Maid of Kent, was the first English Princess of Wales...
and stepdaughter of Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
. This allowed him to negotiate down his ransom, and he was released soon afterwards. Maud bore him a daughter, Jeanne (d. 1407), who married Antoine, Duke of Brabant in 1401.
After Maud's death, he married Bona of Bar (d. 1400), daughter of Duke Robert of Bar and Marie Valois (daughter of John II of France
John II of France
John II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
), but had no issue by her. He was one of the peace commissioners sent to London in 1396, and made a futile attack on the English near Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
in 1405. He was of the party of Philip II, Duke of Burgundy
Philip II, Duke of Burgundy
Philip the Bold , also Philip II, Duke of Burgundy , was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and his wife, Bonne of Luxembourg. By his marriage to Margaret III, Countess of Flanders, he also became Count Philip II of Flanders, Count Philip IV of Artois and Count-Palatine Philip IV...
, marrying his daughter to Philip's son Antoine. Under the Burgundians he obtained preferment, becoming Grand Maitre de Eaux et Forests
Great Officers of the Crown of France
The Great Officers of the Crown of France, known as the Grand Dignitaries of the Empire during the French Empire, were the most important officers of state of the royal court in France during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration. They were appointed by the French monarch, with all but the...
, the governor of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1410, and Constable of France
Constable of France
The Constable of France , as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France and Commander in Chief of the army. He, theoretically, as Lieutenant-general of the King, outranked all the nobles and was second-in-command only to the King...
in 1411. However, he lost the Constableship and was driven from Paris with the rest of the Burgundians in 1413. He rode out for the last time in 1415, and was killed at the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
. His son-in-law Antoine was killed there as well, so Waleran was succeeded by Antoine's younger son, Philip of Saint-Pol
Philip of Saint-Pol, Duke of Brabant
Philip of Saint Pol , younger son of Antoine, Duke of Brabant and Jeanne of Saint-Pol, succeeded his brother John as Duke of Brabant in 1427...
.